Alex Binkley

Reading Time: 2 minutes Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s trade mission to China seems to have opened doors for major Canadian agri-food exporters. Now they’ll have to translate those agreements into orders. The beef, pork, pulse and canola sectors all received special attention during the visit and the Canadian Wheat Board got to remind everyone it isn’t going out of […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes Liberal senators have become more of a speed bump to the speedy passage of a bill to strip the Canadian Wheat Board of its marketing monopoly than the government expected. Senators wrangled over a motion to refer the bill to the Senate agriculture committee during their sittings Nov. 22-24 without putting it to a vote. […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Doha Round of international trade negotiations has passed its “best before” date and it would make more sense for countries to salvage the progress made during 10 years of negotiations, says Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. “I don’t see a groundswell of support for the latest efforts to reach a wide-ranging agreement,” Ritz said at […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Canadian Federation of Agriculture launched its 75th anniversary on several fronts in mid October with a spiffy gala, an appearance before the Commons finance committee and a news conference where its leaders spelled out the key issues facing farmers. “Farmers saw a need back in 1935 for a national voice to develop agriculture policies […] Read more

Reading Time: 3 minutes AF contributor OTTAWA Farmers need to put aside their philosophical differences and reach out to consumers to ensure the long-term health of the sector. That message, under various names, was advanced by several speakers at the annual meeting of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture Feb. 23-24. After endless conversations during and around the gathering, the […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes AF contributor ottawa The Canadian Transportation Agency has dismissed a level-of-service complaint against CN by Western Grain Trade Ltd. In a decision announced Feb. 11, the CTA said CN did the best it could in meeting the company’s need for cars in restricted plant facilities in North Battleford. The pulse crop shipper accused CN of […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Canadian Wheat Board and other government organizations must consult directly with federal officials and politicians and not employ lobbyists to do their pitching, says Vic Toews, president of the Treasury Board. “Agencies within the federal sector need to examine all their spending to ensure taxpayers receive value for their money,” Toews said in a […] Read more

Reading Time: 3 minutes Health Canada, the Public Health Agency and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have all been cited for contributing to a breakdown in the food inspection system during last summer’s deadly listeria outbreak. To prevent a repeat of it, special investigator Sheila Weatherill proposed 57 recommendations to improve food safety. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said they […] Read more